Costco Grand Opening: Joliet Could Come In Droves

JOLIET, IL — Wednesday morning marked the grand opening and thousands from the Joliet area may begin a new shopping ritual. They're expected to become regulars at the new Costco that opens at The Boulevard, the highly anticipated redevelopment project along Route 30 near the Interstate 55 exit.

Costco officials told Joliet Patch's editor that their company is a leader at taking safeguards against the coronavirus. They said employees will always wear face masks, customers must wear masks, and workers will make it a top priority to ensure the new Costco is always sanitized.

"We are keeping employees and members safe and that's engrained in the whole company right now," remarked Dave Somodi, a 10-year employee with Costco who is the membership manager for the new store at The Boulevard.

The address for the new Plainfield Costco is 16261 Boulevard.

The new Costco on Route 30 is just up the road from the Louis Joliet Mall. The development project is so big that a new traffic light was added along Renwick Road, near the railroad track.

In recent months, Costco has been signing up thousands of new members in preparation for the grand opening.

The new Costco will draw most of its customer base from Joliet, Plainfield, Crest Hill, Morris, Channahon, Minooka, Coal City and Shorewood, Somodi said.

"We're right off Route 30 and I-55," Somodi told Patch. "We're the anchor for the rest of the development at The Boulevard."

Somodi also wanted people to know that the parking lot is huge, and he expects it won't be an issue. Some parking lots at other Chicago-area Costco stores lead to problems with traffic congestion during peak hours of operation.

The new Costco will keep the following regular store hours: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The new Costco on Route 30 also features a tire repair shop as well as a gas station.

Years ago, this was the site of a Plainfield truck stop. But the property had been vacant for many years. Now, the days of high weeds littering the land are over.

Costco is ready to open this week.